


I Know I'm a Wolf

by mandaree1



Series: it ain't technically a baby draft if they're your kids [14]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Michelle is Glimmer and Bow's, Michelle's been through A Lot, Pearl is Mermista nd Sea Hawk's kidd, She Ra Kids, They're young adults here, mentions of torture, patching up wounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-11 01:32:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18420074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandaree1/pseuds/mandaree1
Summary: They say when you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves. They underestimate me. — A Softer World.





	I Know I'm a Wolf

The bandages itch like no tommorrow, even after a good back rubbing with that lotion the healers had given her. Michelle found herself staring into nothing late in the night, pillow crushed in her arms and under her chin, hoping to all the First Ones that it stop. They weren't listening. She supposed that was one of many plus sides to being dead- you don't have to listen when idiots who get caught pray to you.

(She doesn't remember if she was awake when the soldier died, gushing blood and babbling fever. She kind of wished she had been lucid, just to be completely sure.)

The sound of something scaling the walls is enough to set Michelle back on edge. It wasn't uncommon, necessarily- Aunt Catra seemed to love confusing and irritating the guards, in spite of many loyal years in Bright Moon- but it was also coming towards her window. Michelle turned invisible with hardly a thought, letting go of her pillow. She carefully crawled out from under the covers.

There. Now, they look sleep-mussed, like she'd gone to the bathroom and had yet to return. Nothing that would garner much attention. She grabs her knife and prepares to get stabby with it if she has to.

A familiar shape crawls over her railing with a grunt. Her parachute pants are gold and blue-green, and her vest is more of the same. Add that to the curly brown side-shave and the _grunt_ she makes as she falls onto the floor, and Michelle finds herself relaxing.

"Pearl," says Michelle. "What the fuck?"

Pearl lets out a shriek, flipping herself around in a movement that bashes her head against the wall. "Damnit!" She cradled the side of her skull. "Mitchy, where are you?"

She let herself become visible again, waggling the blade at her. "You're lacking your typical grace."

"I had a mug at the pub, so sue me." The sailor plopped onto the bed next to her. "Aren't you supposed to be spying?"

Michelle didn't answer that. "So you decided to come into my room... thinking I was gone?"

Pearl ran her fingers through her hair. "I got kicked out of the inn."

"Pick a fight?"

" _No_ ," she pouted. "Just finished it."

It wasn't a new problem. Pearl had her mother's temper, and people seemed to take great joy in mocking Sea Hawk for his strange ways. It almost always ended with her banished and sleeping in some remote campsite or crashing with a friend. "You're so stupid," Michelle snorted, snapping her fingers to provide light, and for a simple, wonderful second, things were almost back to normal.

The shimmery glow illuminated a gash on Pearl's forehead, however, and the world turned cold and dark as Michelle instinctively flinched backwards. One of her oldest friends reached out for her, and she _knew_ , logically, that it should be a comforting gesture, but the blood was in her eyes and she fell onto the floor, knocking her back. Pain exploded within her system. Stars danced behind her eyelids.

The first thing she registered was Pearl's voice. "Oh no, oh no, oh no," she whispered again and again. "What happened? What did I do?"

Michelle tentatively sat up, hissing air between her teeth. "You didn't _do_ anything," she said, voice rough. "I'm fine."

"But-"

"I'm _fine_ , okay?"

Pearl reached down to help her back onto the bed. Michelle, lips firmly squeezed shut, couldn't look at her. Not when she knew that horrible memory was splashed across her face in copper.

She leaned back slightly. "Dude, you're bleeding."

"I know."

"What happened?"

Michelle shrugged, ignoring the twitch her shoulders gave. "I got caught. In the Horde."

" _Shit_ ," Pearl spat. She went to touch her, then hesitated. "Let's get you cleaned up. S'that okay?"

"Promise you won't pity me?"

"Pity is lame."

Hearing that from a woman half-intoxicated and looking to crash in her bed made Michelle want to laugh. Almost. She almost did a lot of things these days. It was like her heart had forgotten how to go all the way. "Okay."

* * *

Pearl has always kept her word. There's no gasp, no 'Oh, honey', no questions, no crying. It almost didn't even hurt. She unwraps her bandages and dabs the shriveled up remains of what had once been her wings with a sort of grim resolve, holding a vigil over what Michelle has lost.

Finally, she speaks. "I'm gonna kill that fucker."

"Mom already did," Michelle replies, then almost slips and adds that she'd been bleeding too heavily to help. She bit her lip, hating that. Hating herself for not getting at least a punch in.

"I'm gonna kill the Horde."

"I called dibs."

"Damnit, let me kill _something_ , Mitch."

The joke is as flat as her tone of voice as she finished re-wrapping. Michelle straightens, only for Pearl to turn away, wiping the smear off her own face. It was a relief. "I'm sorry, Pearly. I shouldn't've-"

Pearl stopped to glare at her. "Don't. You didn't do anything wrong. I shouldn't even _be_ here."

"I'm glad you are."

She grunted and looked at the wall.

Michelle felt her stomach twist. Pearl didn't pity her- _she promised_ \- but there was a multitude of other, equally unpleasant emotions the woman could be feeling right now. They'd always been this way; up and down, kissing or spiting insults, but tonight she just _couldn't._ Any other night but tonight was fine, but right now it was strictly not allowed.

Pearl neatly set everything back into the med-kit, flicking it shut. She buried her face in her hands. "This wasn't supposed to happen to us."

That startles her. "What?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"This! The Horde!" Pearl waved her arms around in a sluggish, slapdash manner. "How many people do we know that've gotten destroyed by it? How many family members? We were- we were supposed to get out of it on top. We were supposed to be _untouchable_."

Michelle found herself laughing. It was sour. "I'm sorry I wasn't _magically_ able to _not_ end up with PTSD after a torture shesh. I'm sorry I'm..." She broke off, not wanting to go down that road.

The sailor's face softened. She hesitantly reached out to cup her cheek. In the darkness, Michelle could just make out the gash above Pearl's left eyebrow. "That's not what I meant. I- I'm sorry, man. That I made you feel like that. I just hate that the Horde gets to ruin everything."

"It didn't ruin me," she said softly, as if daring her to disagree.

"It didn't," Pearl agreed. "Don't listen to the shouty guy in your brain, alright? He's a liar."

Michelle sniffled. She hadn't cried since they'd allowed her to sleep in her own room, and she was kind of hoping to keep that going. "When did you get so good at comforting people?"

"Being tipsy has its advantages, I guess." Her smile was sharp and pointy and grim. "You're not weak. Not for feeling bad."

That broke the damn. Michelle quickly buried her face in Pearl's shoulder, hating that she was crying and hating that something had made her cry. Sharp fingernails dug into her vest, which reeked of smoke and sea salt. The smell was soothing. Pearl leaned on her, just a little, just enough that she could feel her warmth and weight and know she was there without making it a burden.

"I know you called dibs, Mitch," said Pearl. Her voice rumbled against her shoulder. "But I'm going to burn every inch of Horde territory down, then draw the Bright Moon flag in the ashes. I'm through with them thinking they can do whatever they want."

She drew back to press a kiss to her cheek. "Sounds good to me. I'll get my revenge, and you can avenge. Just make sure to sign it in blood."

**Author's Note:**

> Slightly older kiddos! Pearl and Michelle have a hot-and-cold dating thing that goes on, but they always care for each other, and will do anything to keep each other safe. (Baylea is more than happy to help when they find out, I'm sure)
> 
> -Mandaree1


End file.
